• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Priyanka Jayashankar

After producing several national gold medallists, a swimming academy on the outskirts of Chennai is steadily working towards a 2012 Olympic win.

Way back in 1987, Chennai-based swimming coach K.T. Muraleedharan had a dream. He hoped to handpick young swimmers and train them for the holy grail of all sports contestants and aficionados — the Olympics. Fast-forward to 2005: blog-spots still mock India's dismal Olympic record. But an ever-determined Muraleedharan is keen to swim against the current. Having tutored the likes of Nisha Millet and Advait Pandit, he is gearing up a new set of protégés for the 2012 Oympics at his Dolphin Swimming Academy.

Tucked away in a Chennai suburb, this 10-month-old academy, sponsored by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), is emerging as a `talent pool' of national champions. Brightly hued kickboards, full buoys and palm pullers are cluttered all over, as parents watch their young ones practise the freestyle stroke rapid-fire. The three-hour drill goes well beyond twilight, but the swimming medley remains action-packed.

"It's time for warm-ups," Muraleedharan instructs another batch of swimmers. He however takes care to avoid burnout in his wards. "I've come across many swimmers at tournaments who get exhausted by the second round due to over-exertion," he says.

As Life Member of the American Swimming Coaches Association, the mild-mannered trainer points out that Indian athletes can make it big globally, provided they improve their endurance and speed. His face later beams with delight, as he introduces his medal-winning students.

A demure-looking V.M. Abhinaya, a national junior champion, says, "I love to do the back-stroke." Busy with board exam preparation, the 15-year-old admits that her swimming practice has been irregular.

"Indian kids have very little time for sports training compared to their international counterpart," regrets Muraleedharan. Many promising swimmers in their mid-teens buckle under the pressure of exams and prefer to master math equations rather than butterfly strokes. After high school, they have to make a tough trade-off between university education and sporting passion.

Muraleedharan suggests that the Government offer incentives to athletes to ensure financial security even after they retire from sports. Families, on their part, want life-long career options for their children. "Many parents enroll them into medical or engineering colleges using the sports quota," notes Muraleedharan, adding that young champions like Sravan Subramanian and Advait Pandit had to abandon swimming for their graduate studies.

Sporting parents

But there are others who have gone the extra mile to nurture sports talent. "One family relocated all the way from Madurai so that their child could practise regularly here," recalls Muraleedharan. As 10-year-old Venkateswaran deftly performs the freestyle stroke, his proud mother intently discusses his diet charts, calorie intake and the performance of his competitors. "He can forego anything but swimming," she says.

The national gold medallist appears untouched by the press coverage and kudos, and is determined to remain a straight-A student. "He ends up spending most of the day at the pool and even does his homework here," says his mother, a teacher. "Quality-wise, Tamil Nadu swimmers are the best in the country. But Karnataka has a lot more contestants," observes Muraleedharan.

SDAT member secretary P.W.C. Davidar has devised a policy for all schools to test students on their sports skills. "Davidar has done a wonderful job in promoting swimming in the State," says Muraleedharan. SDAT has "adopted" youngsters under its "Championship Development Scheme" that offers financial support for training. Sharath is one of the medallists under Muraleedharan's tutelage to be covered by the scheme.

Leaving behind his parents at Neyveli, Sharath has to juggle six hours of swimming with studies every day in Chennai. Despite the multi-tasking and homesickness, the small-town boy has the poise of a veteran athlete: "I have been given psychological training by SDAT to handle stress." Having bagged four gold medals at the national level, he says, "World champions like Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe are my role models."

While four swimmers from Neyveli have joined the academy, Muraleedharan has lined up swimming meets in towns like Salem and is scouting for 20 rural candidates with "the right physique." Selected candidates will receive State aid; there are also plans to add a hostel at the academy.

"We must identify good athletes and put them on track," says Muraleedharan. But will the talent spotting and vigorous drills bring home Olympic glory? While China has already selected swimming candidates for 2008, India has not even conducted selection meets. Citing the lack of sponsorship and long-term planning, Muraleedharan says Olympic teams in India are selected only a year before the competition.

However, refusing to be disheartened by the odds, he is training young talent like Venkateswaran for the 2012 Olympics. The Swimming Federation of India picks only national gold medallists who can meet the Olympic Standard Timing. For those who don't make it to the finishing line on time, it would be a broken dream. But, as the Olympic Creed reads, "The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

Pictures by Bijoy Ghosh

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Flavours of shatranj

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line